Hello Family and Friends,
Another Christmas is upon us, and I thought this year I would let you listen in on some of the conversations that take place around here.
Brenda: It’s
getting pretty close to Christmas. Are you going to send out cards this year?
Me: No, I don’t think I will.
Brenda: Really? Usually you send out cards and a letter. Why aren’t you keeping up the tradition?
Me: I didn’t send out cards last year because we had just moved into this house, and everything was so chaotic. I wasn’t sure which box had our Christmas cards, or even if we brought them with us from Iowa. Instead, I posted online a letter with photos, and many people seemed to prefer this to a card. So I’m starting a new tradition.
Brenda: That’s kind of sad. It’s like losing a little bit of Christmas spirit.
Me: Bah, humbug!
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This year the coronavirus was a big deal for us. Despite all the precautions we took with wearing masks, cancelling family gatherings, maintaining distance, avoiding crowds, and being vaccinated early on, Brenda and I both contracted COVID-19. My best guess is that I was infected by someone at the grocery store or at church (in both places there were so many people who did not wear masks or maintain distance). I developed a deep cough and wondered if I might be infected, but a nasal swab test came back negative. However, three days later Brenda was hospitalized with COVID and COVID-induced pneumonia. The emergency room doctor suggested that I be retested with the more accurate saliva test, and this result was positive. This is one time Brenda really wishes I had not shared with her.
Brenda: I
don’t remember ever being so sick as I was with COVID.
Me: No kidding. You were hospitalized in the ICU twice, once for three days and a second time for eight days. It was a miracle that you survived. Your doctor said he was flabbergasted at how well and how quickly you recovered with all your underlying conditions.
Brenda: I’m so glad I didn’t have to be placed on a ventilator! I think all the powerful medication they gave me and being placed on the high flow oxygen machine at more than ten times the level of oxygen I use at home is probably what made the difference.
Me: You are forgetting one thing that might have been the biggest factor of all.
Brenda: What is that?
Me: You hated the hospital food.
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Brenda
wasn’t the only one to experience medical issues this year. Last year I labored
to ready our house in Iowa to sell, and also worked hard to load up our belongings
and relocate to Utah. We placed most of what we owned in storage while we
searched for a house, then loaded and unloaded everything a second time when we
moved to our residence. The entire time I was blessed not to experience any
physical problems, even with moving heavy furniture and so many boxes. Then
this year, when my only labor was puttering around the house and yard, I somehow
managed to develop a hernia that needed to be repaired surgically using some
kind of fancy robotic equipment (it seemed almost as though the surgeon was
playing a video game when he operated on me!). Fortunately, the procedure went
well.
Brenda: I’m
worried about you. You try to do too much. I’m sure that’s why you developed a
hernia.
Me: I didn’t do anything strenuous. The hernia came out of nowhere. The doctor said this type of thing tends to happen more as we age.
Brenda: I just wish you would take better care of yourself. I don’t want you to be sick or injured.
Me: Every day I walk for 30 minutes to get exercise. I think I am making a reasonable effort to take care of myself, and I have lost some weight. What else would you like me to do?
Brenda: Well, you could not climb up on the roof to put up Christmas lights. I’m afraid you will fall.
Me: It’s worth the risk so that Santa can find our house more easily.
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While we miss Iowa and the wonderful friends that we made during the 29 years we lived there, we do enjoy being in Utah because we are near all nine of our grandchildren, and also because we are so close to the mountains. We have been accustomed to seeing our grandchildren only once or twice each year; now we are with them frequently and have been able to take part in activities such as ball games, church events, and celebrating holidays. And I have enjoyed helping our children with projects they have undertaken, such as a major remodeling effort and excavating a large swing set to relocate to their yard (Ben and Emily), and digging up a deeply buried leaking sprinkler valve and putting up outside Christmas lights at a newly purchased house (Lindsey and Dustin). I also enjoy visiting with my mother, and occasionally with old friends from high school. And I have been helping my sister-in-law with some of the chores that her husband, my brother Wane, did while he was still living. Brenda and I take advantage of the nearby mountains to get away from time to time. We can no longer camp or hike as we once did, but just driving the beautiful Mount Nebo Scenic Byway located only minutes from our house (where Brenda takes hundreds of photos!) is very relaxing and enjoyable.
Brenda: Let’s
go for a drive today.
Me: Okay. Do you want to go to the mountains, drive out in the country, or go around the lake?
Brenda: I’d like to get some pictures of the leaves changing in the mountains.
Me: We can do that, but you can’t keep asking me to stop in the middle of the road when there is not a place to pull off. I can’t block traffic on a narrow two-lane road.
Brenda: Oh, it takes only a minute to get a photo. I’m sure people don’t really mind.
Me: Well, it’s not you they are pointing at when they are behind us. And they aren’t using their pointer finger!
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It’s not clear that I will be employed again, but I manage to stay busy with church callings, yard work, gardening, and working in the Payson Temple each week. I built some raised beds for Brenda to plant more flowers (including seeds that she brought from Iowa). One day I might even finish unpacking from our move; I’m still trying to find some things I’m sure we brought with us but that I haven’t managed to locate yet.
Brenda and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, prosperous New Year. We pray that the pandemic will be eased so that we all can resume the normal activities that make life so meaningful. Please stay in touch; we welcome your phone calls, text messages, and emails. Look us up the next time you are in Utah!
Love to all,
Dee and Brenda
P.S. - Some photos:
